The Wayne State University Alumni Association will honor distinguished alumni and students receiving scholarships during its annual Leadership and Scholarship Reception on Monday, Feb. 28, 5-7 p.m. at the Alumni House on the main campus.
The Homer D. Strong Award, the association's highest honor, will be presented to Taylor A. Lewis, MD. A Detroit native, Lewis is a senior pathologist at Quest Diagnostics in Auburn Hills. Even before graduating from the School of Medicine in 1978, he was giving back to the university. During his senior year, he joined other students to create the Wayne State Black Medical Association. The group started fundraising projects for scholarships that yielded $5,000 in the first year.
Lewis first served on the alumni association board of directors in 1995. He was elected to the executive committee and held various offices over the next five years, including president. While president, he served as the alumni association's representative to the Wayne State University Foundation.
During this time, Lewis was an integral member of the leadership team that took the alumni association through one of its most important periods of growth and development. This included significant increases in membership and participation as well as development of the scholarship endowment and many new programs.
Dr. Lewis resides with his wife and family in Rochester Hills.
Also being honored is Angela Zemboy, who will receive the Recent Alumni Award. Zemboy, in both her academic and professional careers, exemplifies the impact that the Wayne State Urban Planning Program hopes its alumni will be able to make. She has an undergraduate degree from Oberlin College and received her master's degree in urban panning from the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs (CULMA).
While working on her master's degree, Zemboy coordinated the national meeting of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning hosted by CULMA. The Detroit resident also participated in Wayne State's efforts to assist the city of Detroit in the preparation of the city's successful bid for designation of its empowerment zone. The initiative brought more than $100 million in federal funds to Detroit. While involved with these activities, she also finished her master's degree with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average, the first Master of Urban Planning degree recipient to do so.
Since graduation, Zemboy has worked as a community planner and researcher with the Warren/Conner Development Coalition and the Detroit Eastside Community Collaborative. She also coordinated technical assistance to faith-based housing development organizations for the Michigan Neighborhood Partnership.
Her current position is with Community Legal Resources, a non-profit organization that brokers legal assistance for community-based organizations. Services include development of bylaws and contracting with developers to avoid litigation. Zemboy is currently the executive director of Community Legal Resources, the first non-attorney to hold the position. In addition to hectic work schedule, Zemboy is an active participant in several community organizations.